cape town is lekker Past Review
By matthew S (history/poli sci, Tulane University) for
CIEE: Cape Town - Arts and Sciences
it was absolutely worthwhile. gained a better understanding of the world for the average citizen of the world, not the average citizen of the west. i got a chance to see how millions live without true and simple luxuries of life that we as westerners take for granted and consider essential.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 6 months+ |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
the university of cape town is a fine institution, and though i heard wonderful things about their sciences, the liberal arts department was hardly comparable to what we are used to in north america. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
it is a bureaucratic mess that ran on african time. people were great, but they have no sense of urgency. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
we lived on a property with two houses with a total of 14 people, all of whom were americans on my program. our location was wonderful and was very near to both town and campus. every house on the program had a hired security guard at night and we never felt unsafe. we did not need to buy bedding or kitchenware, although what was provided left much to be desired. |
| * Food: |
the exchange rate allowed us to go out for many meals at very reasonable prices. typical meals were pretty boring-very english-such as lots of cheese and tomato sandwiches. however, at better restaurants, food was amazing and the seafood was great. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
great friends and non academic things going on in cape town. the beaches, mountain and citylife all offered much to do. travel was also extremely interesting. Garden Route, Kruger, Mozambique, Zambia, Victoria Falls, Botswana, Zimbabwe. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
ciee does a good bit to make students feel safe in cape town despite the crime stats. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | living expenses probably around $100. |
| Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? | traveling is not cheap and there is alot of traveling to do. it would be advantageous to save a good bit of money towards traveling and adventuring. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Fluent |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | graduate level |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | cape town was awesome, uct was a little dissappointing, but i wouldnt choose anywhere else to go abroad. |
